Touring Scotland: veteran of Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrew Kosolapov plays at doof in the Park festival at Dundee.
- Vlad Fisun
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
A proactive student of our program and Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran joined the doof in the Park festival lineup: on July 4, 2026, alongside Sasha Korol, DJ Perekos headlined The Highlander stage.
Our trip to Scotland, to the city of Dundee north of magical Edinburgh, was dedicated to the performance of Andrew Kosolapov, an EnterDJ program student since autumn 2025, at the region's main festival, doof in the Park.
doof in the Park organizer, founder of the doof brand studio, and Mixmag cover star Hannah Laing earned her ticket into the dance music scene working by day as a dental assistant, and in her spare time as a DJ and studio producer. Meanwhile, the success of her single Good Love, which entered the UK Dance Chart top 10 three years ago, granted her celebrity status well beyond her native Dundee.
Hannah decided to channel her success not into a convertible—hardly practical in Scotland anyway—or a country estate, but instead built a festival and a studio. "Doof!"—that is precisely how the Laing's grandmother described the style of music her granddaughter played and produced. It was with this exact "doof" mindset that our student DJ Perekos prepared for his performance alongside Oleksandra 'Sasha' Korol, who moved from Kyiv to Dundee and immersed herself in DJing through the Turn The Tables program.
Turn The Tables is a charitable organization founded in Edinburgh in 2018 by DJ Robbie Tolson. Back then, he brought turntables into a homeless shelter and witnessed firsthand how dance culture improves the well-being of people facing severe social hardships. Today, the program supports the social reintegration of former convicts and unhoused individuals while inviting anyone interested to try DJing as a form of self-expression and a way to get their life on track—this is how the doof studio in Dundee operates, where we had the chance to meet students preparing to perform on The Highlander stage.
Robbie Tolson met Andrew Kosolapov during the Music Saves Ukraine tour for music industry professionals from across Europe, organized by the Ukrainian Association of Music Events UAME in December 2025. At the HVLV cultural center, they played a back-to-back set—as a result, EnterDJ and Turn The Tables agreed to do a joint project together in Scotland.
In the winter of 2025, Andrew was just starting out with DJing in our EnterDJ program at the HVLV cultural center, where I am a co-owner and founder. UAME held its year-end event at HVLV and invited EnterDJ to present our music therapy program. This served as confirmation that we had created a project that helps people improve their mental health and go far beyond what they could imagine in a very short period of time. Just six months later, Andrew was taking the festival stage in another country – recalls Andreas Boech, EnterDJ curator and CEO of the HVLV center.
Preparation for the performance at doof festival began with the idea of pairing Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran Andrew with student Sasha Korol, who moved to Dundee with her family four years ago. Sasha actively attends Turn The Tables classes and mentions that while she used to look for a community in a new country, the young artist is now constantly being invited to perform and play at house parties.
Doof Studios became so much more than just a place where I mastered a skill. It helped me build self-confidence and connect with the Dundee music scene, which truly helped me feel like I belonged here, – Sasha shared in an interview with the portal DJanemag.com
Prior to the event, Andrew and Sasha knew each other online and had roughly the same level of DJing experience. Andrew had already performed on the main stage at the Kyiv Half Marathon of Unbreakability, while Sasha had experience playing local dance floors in Scotland.
On the eve before the performance at doof in the Park, a small jam behind the decks took place in the cozy Coco venue in Edinburgh, where friends from Turn The Tables welcomed the EnterDJ delegation. The future artist duo held their first public rehearsal. And the following day brought a festival with a magical atmosphere, Scottish hospitality, and a closing The Highlander stage—a replica of The Highlander Ibiza bar, where Hannah Laing was a resident for three seasons.
From the moment we met at the Edinburgh airport to the very last minutes of the journey, we discussed why we create our own paradigms in DJing—it serves as a tool for social development, an avenue for self-expression, and rehabilitation from the impact of trauma, sometimes even physical. On stage at doof in the Park, we saw proof of our hypotheses: two people who had never played together built their musical communication in a way that made it look as if they had known each other for years, performing with an energy that gave the dance floor no chance to stop. Even when an extra half-hour was suddenly added to their set, Andrew and Sasha embraced it as a bonus—and that is precisely how the audience received it as well – recalls the project's co-founder EnterDJ Vlad Fisun.
It was very interesting, yet at the same time unusual, to perform for a Scottish audience. And although I can't say I'm entirely satisfied with my set—having had to improvise on the fly instead of sticking to what was planned—there was amazing energy and support. Sasha and I felt everything artists feel on a big stage: the excitement, the crowd's attention, wild dancing, and great teamwork – shares Andrew Kosolapov regarding the performance.
The collaboration between EnterDJ and Turn The Tables serves as both an example of the inspiring life journeys of music program participants and an opportunity for further growth across recreation, social impact, business, and event organization for those interested in driving social change. And it has only just begun.
It was an honour to welcome our friends and partners from EnterDJ to Scotland. I’m a big believer in the power of collaboration, so it felt right to share our platform and introduce our Ukrainian counterparts to Scotland’s incredible dance music scene, while also offering a little escapism in the Scottish Highlands by bringing together my two greatest passions in life – music and the great outdoors. I love my country just as much as the Ukrainians love theirs, and it was a privilege to share a small part of it with them. I can’t wait for the day we’re able to send our own DJs to perform in Ukraine and continue strengthening the friendship between our two organizations and our two countries through our shared mission of using DJing as a powerful tool for change, – stated Robbie Tolson, founder of Turn The Tables.
EnterDJ expresses its gratitude to:
Robbie Tolson and Turn The Tables for this incredible opportunity and journey.
doof in the Park festival and Hannah Laing for the invitation and a special gift for our studio at HVLV: professional AIAIAI headphones.
The Ukrainian Association of Music Events UAME for their assistance in organizing the trip.
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